put-put

1 of 2

noun

variants or putt-putt
ˈpət¦pət,
usually -¦pət+V
plural -s
1
: a sound made by or suggestive of the operation of a small gasoline engine
the put-put of its motorKay Boyle
occasionally there would be the rapid put-put of conversationDonn Byrne
2
: a small gasoline engine or a vehicle or boat equipped with one
a phonograph and a radio and a flivver and a put-put for the canoeFannie Kilbourne
experimenting with fast-flying combat planes to replace the slow-flying put-puts now used for the jobTime

put-put

2 of 2

intransitive verb

variants or putt-putt
"
put-putted or putt-putted; put-putted or putt-putted; put-putting or putt-putting; put-puts or putt-putts
1
: to make put-puts : make the flat regularly repeated explosive sound of a small gasoline engine
his angry style, which keeps put-putting in a series of equal explosions like a one-cylinder gasoline engineMalcolm Cowley
2
: to proceed or operate with or as if with put-puts : travel in a vehicle or boat that put-puts
the launch went put-putting across the darkening harborWilliam Irish
put-put off across the water to visit the alligatorsJ. L. Jolley

Word History

Etymology

Noun

imitative

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Cite this Entry

“Put-put.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/put-put. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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